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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: content · pit · bat · prune · capital · nail · safe · deal

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. capital — money
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. prune — to trim
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. content — the amount
  10. pit — a hole
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. content — happy
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. pit — in a race
  15. deal — to handle
  16. capital — a city
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. bat — the animal
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. prune — to trim
  24. content — videos and posts

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com